Motown, Stax & Philly Soul. Pop, Doo-Wop & Rock and Roll.

Another four Grammys were awarded in the R&B category in 1967 and two of those four went to this great song as performed by Aretha Franklin. Miss Franklin’s cover of the Otis Redding song “Respect” earned both the Best Rhythm and Blues Recording and the Best Rhythm and Blues Solo Vocal Performance, Female of 1967.

When [Otis’ original “Respect”] released in the summer of 1965, the song reached the top five on Billboard‘s Black Singles Chart. The song even crossed over to pop radio’s white audience, peaking at number thirty-five there. At the time, the song became Redding’s second largest crossover hit (after “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long”). (SOURCE:WIKI)

Franklin’s rendition found even greater success than the original, spending two weeks atop the Billboard Pop Singles chart, and for eight weeks on the Billboard Black Singles chart. It also became a hit internationally, reaching number ten in the United Kingdom, and helping to transform Franklin from a domestic star into an international one. Even Otis Redding himself was impressed with the performance of the song, and at the Monterey Pop Festival in the summer of the cover’s release, he was quoted playfully describing “Respect” as the song “that little girl done stole from me.” (SOURCE:WIKI)

[As additional proof of the greatness of Miss Franklin’s cover version — it] was inducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998. In 2002, the Library of Congress honored Franklin’s version by adding it to the National Recording Registry. It is number five on Rolling Stone’s list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. It was also included in the list of Songs of the Century, by the Recording Industry of America and the National Endowment for the Arts. (SOURCE:WIKI)

Of course I couldn’t close out this post without showing a vintage live performance of Miss Franklin doing the classic circa 1967! Enjoy.